Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-17
THE FIRE.
The Belmont Hotel To-
tally Destroyed.
SCENES AT THE BURNING.
Heavy Losses, Partly Covered
by Insurance - Vari-
Gus Notes.

NY luouTduCo - warn
Gus Notes.
Shortly before IL O'Clock yesterday
morning one Of the most popular and
the pleasantest hotels 10 Los Angeles
caught ire and burned to the ground.
The Belmont hotel was built in 1884
by DR.. j. w. Ellis and has since
that time until yesterday enjoved the
patronage of the public in the highest
degree, in fact, seldom has there been
vacant room to be obtained. Situa-
ted on an eminence at the end of the
Second street cable road, away from
the hustle, dust and business of the
centre of the city, it had become
a family residence for visitors and
citizens, who preferred to live in this
manner with all the comforts that
could be obtained in the civilized
wolll. Some months ago Messrs
Clark and Patrick leased the hotel
for term of five years, and under
their management the popularity OF
the Belmont had increased until they
found it necessary to make improve
ments and additions. During the
past few months these have been
going on by degrees, and only last
we the young le!sees footed up the
costs and found that they hal ex-
pended in the neighborhood Of $500, |
for which they expected to be REIN
burse by their patrons in the future. |
This they had every reason to believe
would he accomplished, for at the |
time the fire broke out there were |
fifty-fve guests in the house, and |
there were but three vacant rooms. |
These hid been full up to the day
before, when the parties who oc-
cu,,ied them moved into house OF |
their own. The rooms would have |
been occupied before nightfall for
there were many applicants for them.
Ever sine Messrs. Clark and Patrick |
have b I'll charge the list of applicants
for accommodation has been large and |
they were on the road to prosperity |
and fortune when the disaster came
The hotel on the inside was as at
tractive as on the outside. The |
furniture was elegant and of the latest |
styles and the conveniences included |
everyt ing that modern science and
art could suygest. There was nothing |
lacking which could have added to the
comfort of the guests. Outside, the
grounds were laid off as no other in
the city There were large beds of |
flowers, laid out by an artistic hand. |
and pleasant walks for the guests, and |
no more attractive hotel could be |
imagined; and this, with its contents, |
was nothing but heap OF ashes at
noon yesterday.
THE CAUSE.
There weri various rumOrs az to |
the cause Of the fire, but tn 1t which |
WAS probably the truth was to the
effect that the Chinese hep in the
kitchen had set the building on fire |
'bv his oarele-snesS. According to |
statements made he had been ngigei
in heating some grease on the range |
In the kitchen. Carelessness on
his part caused it to tip over
and catch fire. The woodwork |
OF the kitchen caught from the burn
ing grease, and there was from that |
time no 'pe of saving the entire |
structure. At the time the fire started
q ,od many of the guests were down
town, especially the men, and MIR.
Clark. one of the lessees, was also |
away from the hotel. The first signs
= fire that were noticed were the |
auiug of the Chinese AMI the |
.oke which began to pour out OF the
windows OF the kitchen, which WAS
situated underneath the water tank,
where the supply OF the building WAS
stored. The first men on the scene
we're John Frank VIM. Fl. Burkhart,
Ed Halbirder and Charles Stump,
who were working on building near
by. They ran to the hotel and
tried to get wafer from the tank,
but the Ere had too great start, and
they soon saw that their work in this
direction was useless. They then
turne. their attention to saving the
furniture and trunks of the guests, AMI
in this they we're aided by the ladies
who had been reused and neighbors
who began to arrive. They worked !
until thev were scorchel by the
flames. In the meantime the police
station had been telephoned in regard
10 the fire, ami an alarm was sent in.
The first engine to arrive vas that
stationed at the cofhef OF Ninth and
Main etrae..s, and it was some time In
getting over the hills, and when
It did arrive it was found that the
nearest water was that IN the |
lake ut the Second street park,
from which place it was impossible
to pump water to the fire with but one
engine. When the fire reached the
main building it burned but slowly,
and had there been water and en-
Vines near, the fire would have been |
Snbdued before much damage had
bean done. A. =. wna the tire de- |
partment di' am OF wafer
on the building tn..faII OF the wall.
we're down. Its first effort was to wet |
down the, siies of the f lis Col
lepe, and this was saved mainly
because it was 80 far away. AT
q quarter past eleven O'Clock the
fire burst through the roof OF the
hotel, and in few moments the build
ing was q mass OF flames, and the peo-
DIE devoted their strength to the re-
moval of the trunks and furniture,
which had heen taken ont, to places
further away from he beat which wa
intense. At n quarter to IL O'Clock
the walls had ia len in, and even the
tall chimney had fallen, and it was at
this time that second engine was
located half way up the hill and the
water forced through sboth engines
turned on the embers, for that
was all that was left eX-
cent the trunks of the guests
and the furniture. At this time there
was very large crowd OF citizens on
the ground, and residents at the hotel
who we're down town having heard of
the fire, began to arrive, breathless, at
the srene. Their first endeavors wero
to find baggage. and most of them